Municipalities of Germany

Municipalities[1] (German: Gemeinden, pronounced [ɡəˌmaɪ̯ndn̩] ⓘ; singular Gemeinde [ɡəˈmaɪ̯ndə] ⓘ) are the lowest level of official territorial division in Germany.

This can be the second, third, fourth or fifth level of territorial division, depending on the status of the municipality and the Land (federal state) it is part of.

[1] The highest degree of autonomy may be found in the Gemeinden which are not part of a Kreis ("district").

In some states they retained a higher measure of autonomy than the other municipalities of the Kreis (e.g. Große Kreisstadt).

[2] While in some cases growing cities absorbed neighbouring municipalities, most of these mergers were driven by a need to increase the efficiency and reduce costs of administration.